Half to moses e



N0. 6|8,57l. Patented Ian. 3|, I899. G. L. HENDERSON.

W R E N C H (Application filed Feb. 28, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNHED STATES PATENT Fries.

CHARLES LEXVIS HENDERSON, OF BERLIN, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO MOSES E. SHANTZ, OF SAMEPLAOE.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 618,571, dated January 31, 1899.

Application filed February 28, 1898. Serial No. 672,068. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, CHARLES LEWIS HEN- DERSON, machinist, of the town of Berlin, in the county of \Vaterloo, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wrenches; and the object of the invention is to design a simple and cheaply-manufactured wrench by which the jaws may be readily adj usted to the nut by the gripping-hand alone and will tighten the grip on the nut and not loosen it, as iscommonly the case in most wrenches; and it consists, essentially, of an upper jaw and bar and alowerj aw and socketbar within which the upper bar fits, such upper bar being provided with ratchet-teeth and straddled by a U-shaped compression-bar, within which the dog is journaled, which coacts with the teeth on the bar, such bar being pivoted at the jaw end on the lower jaw and supported at the opposite end by a suitable spring, the parts being otherwise constructed and arranged in detail as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my wrench complete, a portion of the straddle-bar being broken away to exhibit the construction. Fig. l

2 is a crosssection through the wrench at the bearing-point of the dog. Fig. 3 is a detail of the upper jaw and bar. Fig. 4 is a detail of the lower jaw and bar.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

A. is the upper bar, which is provided with an end jaw A, having a finger-notch a. I form ratchet-teeth a on the upper edge of the bar. I also provide a groove a in the lower edge of the bar from end to end.

B is the lower bar, which is provided with the end jaw B, the upper tongue 6, the jawsocket B and the end socket B at the opposite end. The bar A is inserted through the sockets B and 13 the tongue I) fitting into the groove a.

G is a straddle-bar U-shaped in cross-section, provided with depending lips c at the jaw, through which passes the pin 0, by which the straddle=bar is pivoted to the lower jaw.

D is a spring preferably secured on the top of the socket B and designed to normally force the straddle-bar outwardly at the free end.

E is a dog pivoted on trunnions e, forming part of same, in the straddle-bar D. The short end of the dog E is spring-pressed upwardly by a fiat spring 6, secured in the top of the straddle-bar.

Fis as pring secured to the side of the socket B and havinga pin f,which normally fits within the groove a in the side of the barA. It will thus be seen that the length of the groove will limit the movement of the jaws from each other. The end of the groove next the end of the bar is preferably inclined, so that upon sufficient pressure being brought to bear the outer bar may be withdrawn entirely out of the sockets of the lower bar. Under ordinary circumstances, however, there will be no danger of the upper bar and jaw slipping out of position.

G is a link which is pivoted in the strad dle-bar at the free end thereof, fitting in a notch cl. When the wrench is not in use, the straddle-bar D may be pressed down at this end and the link G thrown over the end of the bar B, so as to hold the wrench in compact shape for packing.

The operation of my Wrench is as follows: In the position in which the wrench is shown in Fig. 1 by putting the thumb in the notch a the jaw A may be drawn out to any desired distance and the nut placed bet-ween the jaws, as indicated in Fig. 1. By squeezing the straddle-bar toward the bar 13 the dog E is brought so that the point engages with one of the ratchet-teeth ct. By releasing the straddle-bar the spring forces it upwardly and causes the dog ,to pass over the teeth toward the jaw, the spring 6 holding it down, so as to press into the teeth. By pressing the straddle-bar down in squeezing the ends of the wrench together the jaw is fed inwardly. This upward-and-downward movement of the straddle-bar can be repeated un= til the jaw has been brought into the desired position to grasp the nut. Then by squeezing the bar together and the back of the dog coming up against the top of the straddle bar such jaws will be forced to grip the nut very firmly and not be at all liable to let the jaws loosen and thereby spoil the corners of the nut when turning it. The spring D of course throws the straddle-bar away from the jaws, and I find in practice that by releasing the straddle-bar slightly with the hand it throws the jaws slightly apart, so that in gripping small nuts especially the distance between the jaws is sufficient to allow of the Wrench being turned completely on the nut before applying power thereto to turnit. When the straddle-bar is squeezed toward the jaws, of course the grip is then so tight that the dog engaging the teeth and being held thereto by the upper inner end of the straddle-bar will render the grip so tight that it will be impossible for the jaws of the wrench to be loosened on the nut, and thereby the nut is insured of being turned without being spoiled.

Although I describe my invention as applied to an ordinary rectangular jawed wrench, it will of course be understood that other wrenches of suitable form necessary for turning pipes in plumbers use and several other articles may be constructed and adjusted similarly to that shown and described. Such a wrench as I describe, it will be seen, is very quickly actuated.

That I claim as my invention is 1. In combination, the upper toothed bar having a jaw, the lower bar having the jaw and sockets, a pawl for engaging said toothed bar and a straddle-bar carrying said pawl, said straddle-bar being pivoted to the lower bar and forming a complete inclosing casing for the upper bar and mechanism operating thereon, substantially as described.

:2. In a wrench, the combination with the upper bar having a jaw and ratchet-teeth formed on the upper edge thereof, of the lower jaw and sockets, the straddle-bar pivoted on the lower jaw and a spring-pressed dog suitably j ournaled in the interior of the straddlebar and engaging the teeth of the ratchet-bar on the jaw and a spring situated between the jaw and the free end of the straddle-bar as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a wrench, the combination with the upper bar having a jaw and ratchet-teeth formed on the upper edge thereof, of the lower jaw and sockets, the straddle-bar pivoted on the lower jaw, a spring-pressed dog suitably journaled in the interior of the straddle-bar and engaging the teeth of the ratchet-bar of the jaw, a spring-pressed pin attached to the lower bar and a suitable limiting-groove in the upper bar into which it fits as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a wrench, the combination with the upper bar having a jaw and ratchet-teeth formed on the upper edge thereof, of the lower jaw and sockets, the straddle-bar pivoted on the lower jaw, a spring-pressed dog suitably journaled in the interior of the straddle-bar and engaging the teeth of the ratchet-bar of the jaw, and a link pivoted in the straddlebar and designed to hold the free end of tho straddle-bar and lower jaw together as and for the purpose specified.

CHARLES LEIVIS HENDERSON.

IVitnesses:

B. BOYD, II. DENNIsoN. 

